Monday, August 24, 2009

While on the road to Chillicothe last Saturday, I succumbed to the irrestistable temptation to stop by and see a colony of Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels that has long been a fixture in a place right off U.S. 23. It was bright and warm, and I knew the little prairie dogs would be in full whirl, digging, tussling, eating, and lazing about.

Just south of Circleville lay the former Pickaway Plains prairie, and the best place to get an idea of what this place must have once looked like is to stop by Charlie's Pond and vicinity. Prairie remnants persist here and there, but a few years ago one of the landowners - who deserves a medal - put about 1,000 acres into prairie grasses, primarily Big Bluestem, Andropogon gerardii. It is impressive.

The tall grasses stretch to the horizon in the above shot, but it's the cropped short grass of the roadsides where Spermophilus tridecemlineatus hangs out. Drive these roads on a warm summer day and keep an eye sharp, and you'll see 'em.

Like chipmunks on steroids, the chunky little beasts race about and forage where the grass is low and the visibility is good. I probably saw ten or twelve this day, and the guy above allowed for an extremely close approach - something they normally don't permit.

This is the sentinel. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels are highly social and well organized, and they always assign someone guard duty. The lookout watches for trouble, and should something like me appear, he utters a loud trill, sending the others into their burrows. To admire the stub-eared critter to full effect, click on the photo.

I spotted this one from a few hundred feet off, and painstakingly, quietly, sidled closer and closer. It took about 15 minutes, but I eventually got within 15 feet without spooking him. He probably felt pretty safe; that's his burrow directly behind him. Sure enough, I took one step too much and quick as a wink the gopher shot into the hole. For kicks, I lay on my belly in the grass, about eight feet from the hole, to see what might happen if he re-emerged. After about ten minutes, I saw the grass rustle ever so slightly, and that flattened anvil-head with the huge almond eyes appeared, took one glance at me and vanished.

Here's a short video of the ground squirrel. Sorry it's a bit shaky here and there. I was ever so slowly advancing as I shot the video, trying my best to be one with the squirrel, sending telepathic thoughts of peace and love so that he wouldn't wildly flee at the sight of the 250 pound bipedal monster.

Should you find yourself in the Circleville area and like to see the Pickaway Plains and perhaps the Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels, I've outlined a "gopher loop" in blue. Turn west on Radcliff Road off U.S. 23 a few miles south of Circleville. At the end of that turn left on River Road which will eventually return you to 23. Squirrels might be seen anywhere along the roadsides and around the county airport.

Get 'em wil you can. Ground Squirrels are among our few mammals that truly hibernate. Come October, they disappear into those burrows for keeps, and like furry Rip Van Winkles down there they stay until April.

Another good place to find 13-lined Ground Squirrels is at C.J. Brown Reservoir/Buck Creek State Park in Clark County. They are common in the lawn areas near the Visitor Center and all over the grassy zones by the beach and boat ramp. They stuff their cheeks with sunflower seeds below the Visitor Center feeders on the patio too. Brian Menker-Dayton/Springfield

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About Me

I am a lifelong Ohioan who has made a study of natural history since the age of eight or so - longer than I can remember! A fascination with birds has grown into an amazement with all of nature, and an insatiable curiosity to learn more. One of my major ambitions is to get more people interested in nature. The more of us who care, the more likely that our natural world will survive.

About the photos, and permission to use

All photographs on these web pages are the exclusive property of Jim McCormac, and are protected under United States and International copyright laws. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, stored, distributed or manipulated without written permission. All rights are reserved.

If you contact me requesting free photos, the reply may be long in coming :-)

I've been taking photographs for a few decades, but never became fully interested and engaged in photography until 2003. That's when I got my first digital camera. Since then, photography has become a passion and a steadily growing addiction. If you delve back far enough into this blog, you will see photos that were made with a variety of Panasonic point & shoot bridge cameras. Then came a Canon Rebel DSLR, followed by a Nikon D7000. I've since returned to Canon, and use their gear almost exclusively. My camera bodies are a Canon 5D Mark III, which is an awesome full-frame sensor camera, and a Canon 7D Mark II. The latter is a 1.6 crop factor camera, and I use it almost exclusively for birds and distant wildlife.

The lens bag includes the following Canon lenses: 100mm f/2.8L-macro; the sensational but bizarre MP-E 65 mega-macro; a 180mm f/3.5 macro; a 16-35mm f/4L wide-angle; a 50mm f/1.4; a 100-400 f4.5/5.6 II; and a 500mm f/4L II, sometimes used with a 1.4 extender (which makes it a 700mm). I've also got a Tamron 70-200mm and Sigma 24mm Art (great lenses!). I do lots of macro, and my typical flash gear is the Canon Twin-Lite setup. If the gear needs three-legged stabilization, it is mounted on an Induro tripod, attached to an Induro Gimbal head. Finally, I've got a GoPro Hero, which is fully waterproof and can be used for underwater work. Sometimes I even use the camera or video feature on my iPhone 5S smartphone - it's amazing how good phone cameras have become.

Speaking, guiding gigs 2016

NOTE: Click on listed events for details (inmost cases).

January 16, 2016 - Ohio Ornithological Society's annual winter raptor day at the Wilds, Muskingum County, Ohio. Leading field trip.